cosmopolite

noun

cos·​mop·​o·​lite käz-ˈmä-pə-ˌlīt 

1

: a sophisticated, widely traveled person : a cosmopolitan person

"… he is a polished gentleman, a citizen of the world—yes, a true cosmopolite…"

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

2

: an organism found in most parts of the world and under varied ecological conditions : a cosmopolitan organism

A few of these kinds of oysters had and have a wide distribution around the world. One such cosmopolite is the tropical P. hyotis, as far-flung in habitat as coral reefs and usually found in conjunction with them, in the Indian Ocean, the south Pacific, the Caribbean, the west coast of Africa, etc.

—Eleanor Clark

cosmopolitism

käz-ˈmä-pə-ˌlī-ˌti-zəm 

-lə-ˌti-;

ˌkäz-mə-ˈpä-lə-ˌti-

noun

Synonyms

• city slicker
• cosmopolitan
• metropolitan
• slicker
• sophisticate

Examples of cosmopolite in a Sentence

having sung in opera houses all over the world, she has the confident demeanor of a seasoned cosmopolite

Recent Examples on the Web

In one scene, the function of food as a status symbol for globe-trotting cosmopolites becomes clear. —Amelia Lester, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2018

Born in France into a Turkish family, Shafak, 46, is the ultimate modern cosmopolite. —John Timpane, Philly.com, 24 Jan. 2018

The Gersons named their building Ballinhaus as a monument to the country’s late cosmopolite-in-chief. —Yuliya Komska, Smithsonian, 10 Oct. 2017

That vaudevillian public disdain for East Coast intellectuals, Ivy League blue bloods, cosmopolites — all of it started with Nixon. —Jennifer Senior, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2017

Word History

Etymology

New Latin cosmopolites, from Greek kosmopolitēs, from kosmos + politēs citizen

First Known Use

circa 1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1